


The Woods Are Calling (and I'd rather not go)

by fievre



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Awkwardness, Camping, Canon Divergence, Established Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-05 16:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20491880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fievre/pseuds/fievre
Summary: A reluctant Regina is persuaded by Emma and Henry to go on a family camping trip – with The Charmings. It goes just about as well as Regina expects.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Please check out the [art from BulletStrong for this story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20329000)!

“Regina.”

“Hm?” Regina Mills absentmindedly toyed with her spoon and wished, privately, for the third time that morning that Emma didn’t always insist their morning coffee dates had to be at Granny’s diner. The annoying bell above the door rang merrily as another patron came in out of the crisp autumn morning air. Regina registered another curious glance toward Emma Swan and herself, seated together at a small table near the front counter. A bit of small town gossip for the small minds of Storybrooke, an enemies to lovers fairy tale come to life for their consumption. Regina hadn’t minded going public with Emma at all – in _theory_, but she couldn’t help feeling very conspicuous sitting here just now, and longed for a bit more privacy. Especially for this conversation. 

The bell rang again, and Regina tried not to grimace, instead focusing her attention on Emma. “You were saying?”

“I just think that if we try, we can all get along.”

Regina sighed and looked away from Emma’s pleading face. “It’s too early for this, Emma.”

Regina glanced around Granny's diner, not out of interest, but rather not to be subjected to Emma's big, sad green eyes, lest she have a moment of weakness and agree to Emma's proposal. She steadily avoided those eyes as she took a sip of bitter black coffee and primly set her mug back down on the cheap Formica table.

Feeling more resolved, she let her eyes meet Emma's once again. “No,” she said simply. “I _ can’t _ get along with them, Emma. I’m already civil with them for Henry’s sake. I think that’s more than enough. And furthermore, your plan relies on three false assumptions.”

It was Emma's turn to sigh. “Regina –” she began, using her ‘Patient’ voice. “I _ really _ think that –”

“False assumption number one,” Regina cut in. “You think I'm interested in mending fences with your parents.”

“Aren't you? Do you really think all this acrimony is healthy? Studies have shown –”

“False assumption number two,” Regina continued. “You think that _ they _ are interested in 'getting along' with _ me_, when I can list you ten examples off the top of my head that show that is decidedly not the case.”

“We have to start somewhere,” Emma said, with her ‘Patient’ voice quickly heading toward ‘Exasperated’ territory. “If you would just let _ me _ be the mediator of sorts, then –”

“False assumption number three,” Regina plowed on. “Is that any of us will ever surrender. _ I _never do, and neither do they. Someone wins and someone loses. That’s what they call that a zero-sum game.”

“False assumption number four,” Emma reached across the table and took Regina's hand. “Would be you, thinking that you'll ever get me to stop trying to negotiate a peace between you and –”

“And pretty much everyone else? Yes, well. Another assumption of mine was that this could work out between us.”

“_Not _ false,” Emma said with a gleam in her eye. “Also not an assumption. That's a _ fact _.”

“More evidence is needed before a final conclusion is drawn,” Regina said grudgingly. “But so far, the evidence would suggest...”

“That you love me. And that you'll try. For me.”

Regina didn’t look away this time and searched Emma’s eyes. 

“Oh, alright.” Regina said grumpily. “What time is this… _ family dinner _ supposed to take place?”

“At 6. At my parents’ house. As you well know.”

“What are we having? Those greasy melted cheese sandwiches you love so much?”

Emma laughed. “Of course not... but you're not far wrong. Right, I have to go.” Emma leaned across the table and kissed Regina on the nose, which completely discomfited Regina to the point she wanted to wind in her seat. PDA was barely tolerable, but such a cutesy display, in the middle of Granny's diner no less... Well, it didn't fit her image at all.

“See you later,” Emma said, looking like she was enjoying Regina's agonizing.

“Bye.” Regina watched Emma stride out of the diner confidently, disappearing from view with a swish of blonde ponytail. Regina had never met anyone so annoying, truly. Or so difficult to resist.

She sighed again and tipped back the bitter dregs of her nearly-cold coffee. Dinner with Emma's insufferable parents loomed, casting a shadow on her morning.

“It's going to be a long day,” she muttered to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Henry kept up a stream of chatter during the short drive over. Regina tried to pay attention to her son and the road at the same time, while her mind wandered in a distracted shuffle over all the topics she should avoid at this dinner. Can’t mention anyone’s parents, any blood feuds, or any murders, directly or indirectly caused. Check, check, check. No curses, no lost time, no revenge plots… sticking to there here and now. Safe and bland – which certainly came easier to Snow and David Nolan than it did to Regina, but she would give it her best effort. 

“Mom?”

“Hm?” Regina hummed as she parked the car.

“Did you hear anything I said?”

Regina looked at Henry’s earnest face in the orange light of the nearby streetlamp. She smiled. Her son was as cute as they came, if she said so herself. She reached out and smoothed his hair away from his eyes. 

“No, sweetheart. I’m sorry. I’m listening, what were you going to ask me?”

“Well, you and Emma have been dating for a few months now.”

Regina raised an eyebrow.

“I was just sort of wondering if… she was going to come and live with us,” Henry finished his sentence in a rush with a little wince. He knew he was pushing it by asking such a forward question about his parents’ relationship.

“Henry,” Regina said in a warning voice. “That’s for your mother and I to decide, and you know it’s not polite to ask.”

“Emma said it’s good to be open,” Henry said defensively. 

Regina felt like scolding him some more but let it pass. “We’ll see. Come on, let’s go inside. We don’t want to be late.”

Henry scrambled out of the car and hurried along three steps ahead of Regina, but she checked the urge to tell him to slow down. He was just a child, after all. What was childhood for if he wasn’t allowed to be carefree some of the time? Regina caught herself and shook her head. Emma was rubbing off on her far too much these days; lately Regina felt like her thoughts didn't always sound like her own. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, considering the general tenor of her thoughts before Emma came into her life.

She tried to smile a little as Henry ran up to the Charmings’ door and knocked. She felt a queasy flip in her stomach. _Here we go_, she thought. _ Just get through it. For Emma. _

Snow swung the door open with a happy exclamation and a bunch of fluttery hand motions as she beckoned them in, took Henry’s coat, hugged him tightly, beamed at the boy, smiled politely at Regina, took Regina’s offering of two bottles of wine with a ‘thank you’, and led them into the dining room where Emma was nearly finished setting the table.

“It’s wonderful to have you both here for a real family dinner,” Snow said sweetly. Regina returned her smile and hoped the fact that she wanted to gag at the fakery wasn’t obviously written all over her face. 

David popped out of the kitchen with a casserole dish containing a huge meatloaf between his mitted hands and proudly set it down on a lazy susan in the middle of the table. 

“You’re just in time,” he said to Regina with an easy smile. Snow re-appeared with side dishes that she placed alongside the dish.

“Hello, David,” Regina said. “Thank you for inviting us to dinner. Henry and I are happy to be here, aren’t we, Henry?”

Henry nodded and recited, “Thank you for having us.”

Regina smiled at him in approval but felt her irritation rising when David scoffed a little.

“Hey kid,” he said to Henry, ruffling the boy’s hair. “No need to be so formal,” he continued, not quite meeting Regina’s eye. “We all know each other here.” 

Regina pursed her lips but felt decidedly less annoyed when Emma came over to kiss her hello. 

“Be nice,” Emma sing-songed in a near whisper. 

“I _ am_,” Regina hissed, a little too loudly. She noticed Snow and David exchanging glances.

“Looks great, Dad!” Emma said cheerfully. “Let’s eat!”

***

Meatloaf wasn’t one of Regina’s favorites – it was far too basic and heavy for Regina’s palate, but she ate it, the rather stodgy mashed potatoes, and her dressing-sodden side salad with a smile. Her face was starting to hurt when she caught Emma’s eye across the table over the top of her very full wine glass. Emma raised an eyebrow and mouthed ‘_Relax _’ and Regina tried her best to comply.

“So! Regina!” Snow said brightly. 

Regina felt her eye slightly twitch. That _ voice _ of hers. _ Ugh_.

“How are things at the Mayor’s office? Any interesting news about town we haven’t heard yet?”

Henry scoffed, imitating David’s mannerism from earlier. “Nothing interesting happens here,” the boy mumbled. 

“Well,” Regina drawled, “I guess it would depend entirely upon what a person finds interesting. If you want gossip about the townsfolk, I’m afraid I can’t supply you with any. That’s more Sidney’s forte, or perhaps Leroy. If you want to hear about a proposal for forestry in the Ever Wood, however…”

Somehow this dry subject piqued David’s interest, although Regina supposed she shouldn’t be surprised at that, David being _ David _ and all. “What about the Ever Wood?” he asked.

“One of the logging companies has made some inquiries.”

“Logging? In the Ever Wood?” Snow’s face was gently concerned. “It’s so beautiful there… so peaceful. I’d hate to see it changed.”

“It’s very dense in places. Anyway, there are thousands of acres of trees surrounding Storybrooke. Nothing much would be different in the end,” Regina said practically. “_ If _ I were to accept the proposal, that is. I will consult with the City Council, of course, but ultimately… it is my decision alone.” She tilted her head and smiled at Snow. It took a lot for her not to resolve then and there to accept the proposal bright and early the next morning, just for the satisfaction of upsetting Snow.

_ I’m _ awful, Regina thought suddenly. _ But not _ really_. If the shoe was on the other foot… _

She brought her mind back to the conversation at the table and whatever David was saying. 

“...really too bad. Given their size, some of the trees in the Ever Wood must be ancient – hundreds of years old. It would be a shame to see them just… _ hacked down_.” David looked at Regina and narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. “I hope you’ll consider leaving the woods as they are, Regina.”

Regina leaned back in her seat a little, suddenly feeling expansive and at ease. She loved being in a position of power and she would never pretend otherwise. “Yes, well. Part of being Mayor is making the tough decisions. But you can always count on me to do what’s right for Storybrooke.” Another sip of her frankly _ excellent _ wine went down extra sweet.

Emma cleared her throat. “I’m sure that in the end, you _ will _ save the forest, Regina. It’s too nice out there not to. I went walking one of the paths in the forest the other day, just for a little peace after my shift. It’s kind of a magical place. You could almost forget where you are – that you’re just a little ways off from civilization.”

“Exactly,” David agreed eagerly. “Snow and I have gone birdwatching some weekends, I’ve fished down by the river, and done some hiking –”

“Sounds cool!” Henry exclaimed. “I’ve never been fishing.”

“No? I’ll take you some time.”

“I’ve never been hiking, either. Or birdwatching. I’ve never been in the Ever Wood at all.” Henry’s glance at Regina wasn’t quite pointed – Henry knew, or at least had re-learned to respect his elders – but his eyes and tone were ever so slightly accusing.

“It’s not safe, Henry,” Regina said stiffly. “I won’t have you tramping through the damp woods, getting lost, running into some crazed animal, or –”

“But I wanna go!” Henry said plaintively. “I want to see the Ever Wood, and do all the things Gramps was talking about. Before it gets ruined.”

Regina raised an eyebrow and shot her son a warning glance.

“Why don’t we?” Emma chimed in. “It could be fun!” She looked nervously from Regina to the rest of the table’s assemblage. “This weekend. We’ll all go out there. How about it?”

Regina set her glass down carefully. “I suppose if Henry really wants to go, with supervision… I could allow it. But I don’t think _ I _ –”

“It could be a fun family weekend!” Emma’s face was slightly flushed. “Might as well enjoy the woods as they are, while they’re still there. And who knows, maybe after camping out for a few days –”

_ “Camping_? Now hold on, I never said –”

“– you might even change your mind about allowing loggers into the Ever Wood,” Emma exclaimed, as if this was the most thrilling possibility in the world. “How about it?” She glanced around the table again with a certain frenetic energy. Regina suddenly saw the situation for what it was and realized that Emma was trying to stop a disagreement, trying to put on a happy family front, and that her girlfriend really _ did _ want to see this work out.

_ Emma’s been so patient with me_, Regina thought as David glanced uneasily from Snow to Regina and back. _ I guess I could... _

“I can take Henry out – if that’s okay with the both of you,” David said. “I’d love to. It doesn’t have to be a whole thing, if –”

“No,” Regina said. “Emma’s right. I’ll come along, too.”

“Great!” Emma beamed at Regina. Oh, the things Regina agreed to, in order to see that smile. Her stomach was protesting David’s meatloaf already, and she’d just agreed to go camping with her archnemeses. 

She listened to the four of them start to form a plan and took a few bites of her dinner. She made the right sounds of agreement and chipped in to the conversation here and there but her mind was somewhere else. 

Regina felt excluded at times like this, when Henry seemed so much a part of them, fitting in so easily. His interests, attitudes and behaviors aligned with theirs in a way that they never had when it was just himself and Regina. The more time he spent with Emma and the Charmings, the more distant Regina felt from her own son. Disheartening didn’t even begin to describe how that made Regina feel, and she’d just signed up to watch him pull away from her even more, in real time, as they wandered around those stupid woods. Camping was something Regina had never even considered doing with Henry, and here he was, as excited as Regina had ever seen him at the prospect. 

She suddenly, fiercely wished she’d never mentioned those damned woods at all. She should have just approved the logging company’s proposal, not merely for the fairly modest sections that had been suggested, but for the lot of it. She suddenly wanted it razed to the ground entirely.

When she and Henry were saying goodnight and about to leave, Emma pulled Regina aside on the Charmings’ porch with concerned eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” 

Emma kept looking at her in silence and Regina caved in. “Fine. I don’t mind the camping, but I’d rather have sent Henry along with your parents and spent the weekend with you. Us time, you know.”

“I know,” Emma said with a little smile. “But I don’t think that’s really it, Regina. You can tell me. The truth.”

Regina glanced back into the house from the shadows of the porch, seeing Snow smooth Henry’s hair fondly as he prattled on excitedly about everything they would do that weekend as he pulled on his coat. 

“I guess I feel like I have no choice when you make these suggestions. Like if I say no, then I’ll be the villain. Again. It puts me in a bit of a bind with Henry, and these days I already feel so distant from him sometimes, like he’s not even the boy I raised. That he’s someone else entirely when he’s around the three of you.” Regina lowered her voice. “And to see _ them _ reflected in _my son _ is…” Regina shook her head and pressed her lips together. She pulled on her gloves and looked up at Emma. “That enough ‘truth’ for you?”

Emma looked pained and Regina hated it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think that… well I didn’t think. Or I did, but about myself. I guess I just had a vision of –”

“I know. That’s the thing about visions and the gauzy happy endings that you, and Henry, and your parents believe in so much. I lose.” After the dinner and what she’d just uncomfortably agreed to, her patience was at its limit; it felt good to speak her mind.

“Regina, please. I never meant for you to feel so badly. And it doesn’t mean you lose. If I had known I –”

“I know. It’s alright. I’ll see you this weekend. And don’t worry, it will be just fine. I won’t interfere with the _ family_.” Yes, it was a petty dig but Regina made it anyway. She emerged from the shadows and stood in the light pouring from the door. She gave Emma quick peck on the cheek, and then nodded at Snow and David. 

“Come along, Henry,” Regina called. 

She tried not to notice how reluctant Henry looked to leave.


	3. Chapter 3

_ It’s not so bad. _

Regina had repeated the phrase to herself five times already, and they were only about fifteen minutes into their hike. Her new boots were a touch too stiff, the pack Emma had helped her put on was digging into her shoulders a bit, and for the life of her she didn’t see the marvel of the forest around them like the others did… but it wasn’t so bad. She kept her head down mostly, and when Emma glanced back to check on her progress she tried to smile reassuringly. ‘_I’m having the _ best _time’, _ she hoped her smile said. '_Of _ course _ I’m not still upset with you. Yes, you were right, we _ can _ all get along if we try. No, my baby toe isn’t already being pinched by a fold in my sock at the side of these stupid boots I _ never _ intend to wear again, stars as my witness – why do you ask?'_

Regina let out a small yelp as she stumbled over a tree root or stone or _ some _thing and felt her cheeks burning as everyone stopped and turned around to see what was wrong. 

“Are you okay, Regina?” Snow asked.

“Fine,” Regina mumbled. 

“You look a bit flushed,” David said kindly. “You want a break?”

“We just started,” Henry whined. “You can’t be tired,” he said to Regina.

“I’m not, it’s fine.” She tossed her hair and tried to look enthused. “Let’s keep going.”

That was all Henry needed to hear as he charged ahead, pointing things out to David and Snow and listening to their explanations about different types of trees and birds as they went. Regina supposed that if nothing else, this little woodsy foray held _ some _ value as an educational experience for Henry. In any case, she was determined to show them all that she could keep up and be a part of activities like these. 

Emma fell back into step beside Regina. “Hey.”

“I’m fine,” Regina said preemptively. “You don’t have to check on me.”

Emma laughed. “Stop! Come, on. Don’t be like that.”

“I’m perfectly capable of enjoying this… type of thing,” Regina huffed, a little out of breath as the trail began to incline. She glanced at Emma, who looked bemused and raised an eyebrow. 

“Is that right?”

“Well, that was the point, wasn’t it? For me to see the wonder of the trees or whatever? I’ve never been more amazed by them, I assure you.”

Emma giggled. “I love a good sport! And here I was thinking you’d be snippy and bored, wishing you were literally _ anywhere _ else. I’m _ so _ glad I was wrong!”

“Hush,” Regina muttered.

They went on for awhile in silence, listening to Henry’s happy chatter. Regina let her grumpiness lift a little and resolved to train her thoughts into a less complain-y lane. Emma scampered ahead a few steps ahead of her and turned back to watch Regina pull the crest of the hill. She reached out a hand and helped Regina to the top.

From their vantage point, Regina looked back behind them and saw the peaceful forest behind them, then looked ahead at a meadow of sorts to their right, decked with a lot of wildflowers between the trees.

“Cool!” Henry exclaimed. “Let’s keep going!”

“Are you _really _ okay?” Emma asked in a low voice, plucking away a leaf that had somehow gotten into Regina’s hair and then grazing a thumb along her jaw. 

Regina glanced over at Henry’s excited face, and back to Emma’s hopeful gaze.

“It’s not so bad,” Regina said with a little smile.

***

The hike _ finally _ ended and they had come upon the camping area David had led them to. They began to set up camp and Regina had no idea how to put up a tent so she didn’t try. She had her own tent, Henry had insisted on his own, Emma had one, and Snow and David were of course sharing one. It seemed like at least one too many tents to Regina, but she went with it. 

She opened out the small foldable chair she’d thought to bring along and sat down gratefully. Henry was relishing putting her tent together so she fished some sunglasses out of her pack, and made a few supportive noises now and again. 

“Are you okay over there, sweetheart?” “Good job.” “You’re doing great,” she intoned, with no idea if he was actually doing a great job or not. 

Emma put her hands on her hips and stood in front of Regina. “Are you going to help?”

“I _ would_,” Regina said with a voice heavy with faux-regret, “But I don’t know how.” She spread her hands apart helplessly. “I wouldn’t want to make extra work for everyone having to undo my feeble efforts. Best to leave it to the experts and eager learners, no?”

“So _ subtle_,” Emma tilted her head with a smirk. “I know what you’re up to, Regina.”

“They’ve got it,” Regina waved a hand lazily as David helped Henry finish the job. 

“Well, there are other things you can do,” Emma said matter-of-factly, reaching down to grab Regina’s hands and pulling her upright. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

With a sigh, Regina began to chip in, doing the little tasks Emma was assigning to her. It’s not like her help was exactly _ needed_, but Regina knew it wouldn’t sit well with David and Snow, who were casting little reproving glances at her, if she didn’t do _ any_thing. So, she pitched in and kept her mouth shut. 

When she was finally done with Emma’s humiliating busywork, she made for her little foldable chair again. 

“My feet hurt,” she said, not caring how whiny it might have sounded. She reached for her laces and Snow came over and placed a gentle hand on Regina’s.

“I wouldn’t do that. You won’t be able to get your boots back on if you do.”

Regina sighed. “Maybe if I just loosen these up a little… make them a half size bigger…”

Snow was sympathetic as she said, “But you promised Henry no magic on this trip, right? He wanted everything to be as natural as possible?”

“Yes,” Regina said grudgingly. She glanced at Henry, who was happily digging a fire pit under David’s instruction. “I promised.”

Snow raised herself from her crouching position beside Regina and said, “It will be getting dark soon. How about we get some firewood together?”

Regina hauled herself back into standing position and followed after Snow. She glanced back at Emma, who had a smile on her face as she watched them leave.

_ Ugh_. She was going to have to make small talk with Snow. _ Oh joy_.

“So,” Regina said. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Snow asked sweetly, slowing her pace and falling into step beside Regina.

“Sure.”

“I know you’re doing this for Emma. And Henry. And I just want you to know that I appreciate it.”

“Yes, got it. Let’s not make it into a big sentimental thing, Snow. I know you’re doing it for Emma, too.”

“Partly. I just love the woods. I once was afraid of them, but then they became a safe place for me.”

“Safe from...? Oh. You mean safe from _ me_, of course.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Snow continued. “But it worked out for the best. After all, it’s how I met David.”

Regina tried not to cringe at the dreamy way Snow intoned her husband’s name.

“And if I hadn’t met David, then…”

“There’d be no Emma, no Henry, and no scintillating heart-to-heart happening right now. I _ know_, Snow.”

A butterfly fluttered past Regina’s face and she waved it away with annoyance. She heard a giggle and saw Snow reach out and the butterfly actually landed in her hand, because of _ course _ it would. Regina was glad she had on sunglasses to conceal the fact that she’d just rolled her eyes, hard.

The butterfly paused a moment in Snow’s hand and fluttered away. Snow turned her gaze to Regina, and Regina immediately felt guilty at the sincerity she saw in Snow’s expression. “I’m trying to let you know that it’s alright, Regina. I know you and Emma care for each other. She’s my daughter, and I just want her to be happy. As unexpected as it may be, I can accept it, and let the past go. And I think you can, too.”

They walked on in silence. “And David? Are his feelings toward me as magnanimous as yours?”

“No,” Snow said honestly. “But he’s trying, for me, and for Emma. Sound familiar?”

“Let’s get this wood and head back,” Regina mumbled.

***

They had hot dogs for dinner, and some kind of beans. Regina gratefully drank two of the beers Emma had brought along, and as they sat by the fire, Regina had a pleasant enough buzz going to choke down the horrible beans and hold the meat on a stick over a fire without complaint. Henry bragged about all the fish he was going to catch tomorrow for them to eat and everyone indulged him. The stars above them were bright enough to see, even as the fire waned slightly after they ate, and David and Snow pointed out different constellations to Henry. Henry spotted a falling star and insisted that everyone stop what they were doing right then, close their eyes and make a wish. Regina wanted to humor him and went along with closing her eyes but couldn’t come up with a wish before the moment passed. Then Snow launched into a story about the North Star and how Henry could find his way if he should ever become lost. Regina was irrationally annoyed by Snow’s navigational advice – yes, it was useful information, yes, it was hard-won experience from her fugitive years, but Regina _ hated _ the idea of Henry being lost, and didn’t want it entertained, even for safety’s sake. 

Emma must have picked up on Regina’s mood, because she scooted closer to Regina and put her head on her shoulder. Regina relaxed a little, slipping an arm around Emma’s waist, and stifled a yawn. Snow’s stories were boring, it was true, but Regina was genuinely tired. Between the hike there, gathering firewood, helping with dinner, making a fire the old-fashioned way (Henry had insisted on ‘no cheating’) and watching the sunset over the nearby lake, she was out of energy. 

Her blinks were getting longer and she felt – dare she admit it? – pleasantly… happy, in that moment. She closed her eyes and there was a little smile on her lips when something happened that made her eyes fly open. 

David launched into a campfire song.

Regina physically cringed, which made Emma lift her head from Regina’s shoulder and look at her askance.

There were few things that gave Regina secondhand embarrassment like people breaking out into song. She wanted to crawl under a rock as David made a valiant attempt at vibrato.

_ He _ actually _ thinks he can sing, _ Regina thought with wonder. She ducked her head, hiding a smirk. 

Snow joined in with an unnatural soprano and Regina savagely bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t laugh out loud; Snow’s voice quavered and a broken final note hung over the air. 

Henry loved it, naturally, and asked them to sing another. They knew several old songs from the Enchanted Forest, songs of a lost age and place that were completely foreign to Henry and Emma, who both seemed intrigued by the melancholy air of the somewhat broken melodies. 

When a third song had ended, Regina wanted to make an escape to her tent. She wasn’t smirking anymore. That last song had reminded her of a person and a time that she would rather not think about, on a night kind of like this, out in the dark. A silly girl who was meeting a boy in secret, the doomed love they shared… oh, a lifetime ago, but she was sad for that girl and all that she would lose… She remembered a different voice singing, a young man’s voice, and Snow and David’s voices faded as she slipped briefly into her memories of Daniel.

“Mom,” Henry said with wonder in his voice. “You’re crying.”

“I am?” Regina swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Sorry…”

“Why?” Henry asked. “Was it the song?”

“Someone – someone I knew, a long time ago, used to sing that one. It’s nothing, sweetheart. You sing me a different song.”

Henry didn’t need to be asked twice, and he launched into “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain” and Emma chimed in. Emma put her own arm around Regina’s waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. The fog of memory lifted and Regina began to feel better. In the here and now, she had Emma. She had Henry. She had a strong, hard-won relationship built on love and respect, and all evidence to the contrary caused by this ridiculous scenario she found herself in, she was a woman now, who knew what she wanted, and no one was going to take it away from her. 

She looked across the campfire at Snow, who had gone quiet and was staring into the fire.

They had hurt each other so much over the years, and had carried on doing so until recently long ago – but they didn’t have to dwell there, in that painful past. David, Emma, and Henry were chattering together and Snow finally looked up at Regina. Regina gave her a little nod and a smile, which Snow returned. 

Moving on was all there was left to do. Regina was beginning to see that now.

It was her turn to put her head on Emma’s shoulder. She looked up. The distant North Star winked above her.

***

Later on, Emma snuck into Regina’s tent, as Regina knew she would.

After some whispering and muffled giggling as they both tried to fit under the opened out sleeping bag, Emma asked the question.

“Tell me about Daniel?”

“You know the story already,” Regina whispered into the dark.

“You loved him.” It wasn’t quite a question.

“I did love him, truly. But… we were teenagers, Emma. You know how strong emotions can be at that age.I loved him, but it became almost like an obsession, in the way only a first love can be. When it's all new and you believe you'll never feel that way about another person. You add in the star-crossed aspect of it all… he was one of few bright spots in a very lonely existence. And to lose him in such a traumatic, horrible way... well. You know what happened after that."

"I get it," Emma said. She propped herself up on one elbow. "I really do, you know."

What Regina wanted to say was that Daniel was gone, and although she could never forget him, Emma was here _ now_, with her cold socked feet and hair that smelled of campfire and pine and the night air. She took a deep breath instead and willed all of her churned up emotions to settle down.

“Even so. It wasn’t – it’s not... like _ we _ are,” Regina said simply. "This is different. And I know it's right. Or I wouldn't be sleeping on the ground right now."

Emma’s laugh was soft before her lips found Regina’s in the near darkness, and it felt like all the confirmation Regina would ever need to know that this new love was all she wanted. Just as things became interesting, with Emma’s hand moving slowly under her thermal undershirt, Regina heard a faint rustling and Snow’s unmistakable giggle. Both Regina and Emma froze.

Emma pulled away and settled back with an exasperated sigh. “Well, there goes _that _ mood. Gross.”

“No complaints,” Regina reminded her with a yawn. “All of this was _ your _ idea.”

“Uh oh,” Emma said suddenly. “Um, don’t lift the sleeping bag.”

“Why? What’s –” The smell hit and Regina remembered the beans they’d had for dinner. “Did you just –?” She felt Emma shaking with silent laughter. 

“I’m _ so _ sorry,” Emma gasped out, tittering. “Oh no, there goes another one.”

“Get out of my tent!” Regina hissed.

“I didn’t mean to, it’s just a natural consequence of –” Emma stopped at Regina’s glare and rolled somewhat gracelessly from under the sleeping bag. “OK, OK! Love you!”

“Yes, I love you too, stinky. _ Out_!” Regina covered her nose with her sleeve. “My goodness, _ seriously_?”

Emma crawled out of the tent, still laughing, and Regina fanned the flap a few times before she settled back down. 

“Lovely evening,” she muttered to herself. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.


	4. Chapter 4

Regina was in a foul mood in the morning. Her back hurt from sleeping basically on the ground, her head hurt from the beer, her feet hurt from the unbroken-in hiking boots, and despite last night's realization that she needed to start moving on – likely aided in no small part by the melancholy reminders of Daniel, general tiredness, as well as the beer she'd consumed, she had absolutely no inclination to take part in any “fun family activities” that included Snow and David. Thankfully, David had taken Henry off to fish at the crack of dawn. Emma was off somewhere, and here was Snow, humming to herself and flitting around the campsite like one of the birds she favored so much. 

“Coffee?”

Regina took the cup Snow was offering and made a face as she took a sip. It literally tasted like dirt. 

“Is there something like… an outhouse around here?” Having briefly relieved herself in the woods once, Regina wasn’t looking forward to doing it again.

“Nope!” Snow said cheerfully. “But you can use the spade.”

Regina slowly lowered her cup of dirt-water and looked at Snow with narrowed eyes. “The _ spade_?”

“Mmhmm. You dig a little hole, and then…”

“Right.”

“We’ve got a couple of buckets here of boiled water you can use to freshen up,” Snow said helpfully. “You just take one and one of these little poo pouches David made up over here – each has a spade, some toilet paper, a biodegradable wet wipe, and then you walk out a ways, dig a hole in the ground, and –”

Regina set her cup on the ground and stood up with an air of finality. “You know what? I think I’m going home.”

Snow had the nerve to laugh. “I know it seems barbaric for someone like you, but it’s easy. It’s all a part of roughing it.”

“Look. I’ve ‘roughed it’ enough. You all are free to have the best time of your lives out here, digging holes to – to _ go _ in, and whatever else, but I’m going home. I just want a hot shower at this point.”

“But we have a shower here!” Snow grinned. “Emma’s using it right now.”

Regina blinked.

“An outdoor shower,” Snow said with patience. “The water’s been warmed by the fire and it can get more heat from the sun.” Snow gestured upwards at the overcast sky. “It’s fun! Ah, here’s Emma now.”

Regina turned slightly and was startled to see Emma emerging from the woods with her wet hair in a bun at the top of her head, carrying all sorts of supplies with her. 

Emma kissed her on the corner of her mouth. “Morning,” she said. “Oooh, coffee!” 

“Isn’t it good?” Snow asked.

Emma was gulping down a tin cup of the stuff, nodding, and Regina recovered herself enough to really get the picture. They weren’t putting a happy face on a grim situation at all. They were actually _ loving _ it.

_ Who _ are _ these people_?

Somehow, Regina went along with it. She took a shower in the woods, among other things. She helped out with the campground, which seemed to need an endless supply of little chores done to run smoothly. She choked down another cup of “coffee.” She interacted with Snow as politely as she could. And she could see that Emma was happy.

Later, she was bored and wishing for her phone, regretting that she had agreed to a ‘no phone’ rule to go along with Henry’s insistence that Regina not use magic to make things more comfortable. After David and Henry had returned from a somewhat unsuccessful fishing trip (David was carrying four sizable fish while Henry glumly trailed behind him, carrying no catch of his own), Regina vetoed Henry’s idea of a swim in the lake, as it seemed a bit too cold.

“We need a bit more firewood for tonight,” David said. 

“We’ll go,” Emma said, volunteering Regina for duty. 

Regina didn’t have the heart to protest. She merely sighed and stood up. “Alright,” she said wearily.

They left the campsite and Emma chattered about this and that while Regina stifled a yawn. Emma rolled her eyes. “You can’t possibly be tired, Regina.”

“It’s been a long day.”

Emma laughed, and frankly, Regina was getting tired of being laughed at. “It’s 11AM,” Emma said, shaking her head.

“So?” Regina heard a little roll of thunder and looked up. “Let’s get the wood and get back. I don’t want to get caught in the rain.”

“Ah, so you’re in a hurry. Too bad,” Emma said. She walked backwards a few paces and her green eyes held a familiar twinkle. Her hair hung loose now around her face, and had dried into soft waves. Regna thought suddenly that if she squinted a little, in that moment, Emma reminded her of a woodland nymph from the storybooks of her youth – a wild thing that belonged out here in the forest, fresh-faced and at ease in her surroundings… jeans and nubby plaid shirt aside.

_ I’m getting too whimsical in my thinking, _ Regina thought, amused at her own fanciful comparison. _ The Charmings are rubbing off on me. _

“What are you smiling about?” Emma asked.

“Nothing. Just thinking that you’ve changed me.”

“For the better, obviously,” Emma said with a studied nonchalance.

Regina gave her a look. “One of these days I’m going to stop assuming you’re joking.”

Emma pulled her close and kissed her. “Sorry,” she murmured.

“Nevermind. More of that, please.”

“No, I should be more careful about what I say. It’s important, sometimes, to ease a person into the truth.”

Regina gave Emma a playful shove. “Brat.” She was smiling though. 

Emma grabbed her hands and tried spinning her around. “Ooh, another smile. Someone’s having a good time, completely against her will!”

“Oof! Stop, I’m dizzy. Emma!”

A few things happened very quickly. Regina tripped on something, having lost her balance from being spun around like a top, and the force of her weight sent her sprawling forward, using her hands to break her fall. The momentum and sudden slope were enough that she rolled a bit in a somersault of uncoordinated limbs until a nearby tree stump stopped her movement. More thunder cracked overhead and she looked upwards. She began pushing herself up as Emma hurried toward her, brows furrowed in concern and giggling nervously. “Regina! I’m sorry! Are you alright?”

Regina dusted off her hands and struggled to sit upright. She felt sick. Something wasn't… As she tried to stand she felt a heaviness, like she was moving at half speed. She dusted her hands off and tried to collect herself. With difficulty, she managed to fully stand, and then she looked down. With wide eyes, she realized instantly why she felt so strange.

“Emma! Stop! Don’t come any closer.”

Regina’s voice was enough to bring Emma up short. “What? What’s wrong?”

Emma looked down and saw that Regina was standing in the middle of a circle of white mushrooms.

“Oh. That’s so cute! Who knew they grew like that?”

“I said _ don’t _ come any closer!” Regina held out both her hands in a stop motion. She attempted a step forward and stumbled back, collapsing into a heap.

“Regina! Are you alright?” Emma asked again, coming forward and reaching for Regina, who recovered herself enough to yell.

“_ No _! I mean it Emma! Don’t step into the ring!”

“Let me help you stand up! Why are you acting like this? Are the mushrooms poisonous or something?”

“No… not exactly.” Regina squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and tried to focus them on Emma’s face. Her head was swimming a little. “I shouldn’t have come out here. I _ knew _ it!” Regina giggled a little, suddenly feeling slightly hysterical. 

“Regina, _ what _ is the deal? You’re freaking me out. It’s a bunch of wild mushrooms. So what?”

“You don’t understand,” Regina said. “This is a fairy ring.”


	5. Chapter 5

“What the hell is a fairy ring?”

“Fairies… in the old days they would put them in forests for protection.”

“Um, okay? Just step over it?” 

“I _ can’t, _ Emma. You don’t understand. I didn’t just fall over just now in a heap because I hit my head. I _ can’t get out. _”

Thunder rumbled above them again and Emma looked at Regina with a worried frown. “You’re definitely freaking me out here, Regina.”

“This isn’t good,” Regina muttered to herself. Why had she agreed to come out here? _ Why _ ? “I’m such an _ idiot _…”

“Regina?” Emma said carefully. “You have to explain what’s going on. Let me help you. Please!”

“You can’t,” Regina groaned. “I’m stuck here.”

“Um… how?”

Regina threw her hands up in exasperation. “You can’t just walk out of a fairy ring. I’m trapped.”

“Can’t you use your…”

“No! My magic is useless here!”

Emma crossed her arms. “You didn’t even let me get the question out.”

“Sorry. Wait. Maybe if I…”

“Change the mushrooms into flowers, or something else.”

Regina concentrated, tried it, and nothing happened. 

“No?”

“No,” Regina said rubbing her temple. 

“Wait, let me try,” Emma said. She cleared her throat and stretched out her hands. She wiggled the tips of her fingers and waited.

“What _ are _ you doing?” Regina asked, deadpan.

Emma tittered. “Sorry! I was just trying something.”

“_ Some _thing? Is this a joke to you?”

“Of course not,” Emma protested. “I thought maybe if I concentrated too, it might… do… something,” Emma trailed off with a little shrug.

Regina managed not to roll her eyes. “Thanks for that. Okay, um… yeah. I need you to run back to town and get Belle. No, tell Belle what happened, and she can find something. I’m sure she’ll have a book or whatever. She’ll know a way out.”

“Can’t I just kiss you? Isn’t that supposed to fix most things?”

“Actually, yes, it does, but not in this case. If you come in here, you’ll get stuck, too.”

“No offense babe, but if a fairy circle is dangerous for _ you_, it’s probably not going to harm _ me_…”

Regina pursed her lips. “Can you _ not_?”

“Just saying,” Emma put up her hands, feigning innocence. Her smile faded when she realized her teasing wasn’t helping Regina to feel better.

“Alright. You’re serious? You really want me to get Belle and find out what to do because you’re… in a fairy... ring? Shouldn’t I ask Blue? She would have to know what to do, right? What about Rump –”

“_No_!” Regina cried. “Sorry. Just – Belle will understand. If all else fails, then I _ guess _ she could ask Rumple or the moth. But I’d rather they didn’t know. I can just imagine – ugh, nevermind. I don’t need either of them doing me any favors, and I don’t want to owe the imp _ anything_.” Regina again tested the border of the ring she was in, reaching out tentative fingertips. She yanked her hand back suddenly as she felt them burn. “Ouch!”

“Oh, no… Did that hurt?” Emma was trying not to laugh even as she winced in sympathy. “Sorry. You looked like an inquisitive mime for a second.”

“Hilarious, I’m sure.” Regina scowled.

“Hey, I respect a good mime. It’s one of the theater’s lost arts.” Regina could tell Emma didn’t quite know what to make of this situation, and was itching to just reach out, but thankfully, in true Emma fashion, she was just going to roll with it. “Okay. Right, I’ll go. Stay put.”

“Very funny, Miss Swan.”

“Sorry. I’m terrible, I know. Right, okay. I’ll send David back this way. He can… guard you, I guess, while I get help.”

“Thank you,” Regina said gratefully. “Please hurry.”

“Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yes… at least I think so. I don’t feel so hot but it could be worse.”

“All right. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Emma turned and ran back the way they’d come.

***

Regina hated fairies. Obnoxious little gnats that they were, it was just like them to leave one of their stupid fungal rings in the wild for just any innocent – well, any _ person _, such as herself, who was minding her own business in the woods, to happen into.

Regina shook her head. _ The woods and I just don’t mix. I knew it. I _ knew _ it! _

Alright. There was no use in kicking herself about it now. She was here, she was trapped, and all she could do was wait. Belle would figure it out. Hopefully. It was humiliating not to know what to do, but since Regina didn’t make a habit of twirling recklessly in the woods, unlike other people she didn’t want to think about at the moment, she’d never bothered to figure out what she would do in the off, off, _ off _ chance she found herself in the middle of a fairy ring.

She sighed and sat down, trying to get comfortable on the mossy floor of the forest. There was a heavy smell of rain in the air and she breathed it in, looking up at the trees rustling gently above her. It was as peaceful as Emma said it was, really. Focusing on something other than her dilemma calmed Regina for the moment, and the placid surroundings made it that much easier.

Emma would be back soon. David would get here, probably with Henry in tow, and at least she’d have someone to talk to while she waited. Granted, David wasn’t the _ ideal _ conversation partner, but with Henry’s likely presence he would be bearable. With or without Henry, David’s company would be better than silence, anyway. Maybe.

A few moments more passed and Regina heard someone approaching. The relief she felt was real.

“Regina!” David’s voice carried through the forest. “Call out so we can find you!”

“I’m here!” Regina shouted, getting to her feet. “I’m here! Can you hear me?”

“Regina!” That was Snow’s fluty voice. Regina cringed, hoping that her dulcet vocal tones wouldn’t attract every cutesy forest animal to the general area. Regina was decidedly _ not _ in the mood for such a display.

“Mom!” Henry called. “Where are you?”

“I’m here, Henry! I’m not far! Can you hear me?” Regina cried.

But David’s voice, and Snow’s continued calls for her reply seemed to cover her own responses. They couldn’t hear her, Regina realized.

She saw them approaching and yelled again in warning, at the top of her voice for Henry, for David, for Snow. They were ten feet away, then five, then less than a foot, and they didn’t hear her. Or see her. She shouted for them not to come any closer, but to no avail. They were mere inches away, and they weren’t aware of her presence.

Regina was frustrated. She waved her arms, she tried to throw something at them, only to have the handfuls of small stones and forest debris bounce back at her – nothing worked. She quieted when she realized that Henry was becoming upset. She watched David put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, and Snow crouch down in front of him. 

“She’s supposed to be right here. Where did she go?” Henry asked with a panicky edge to his voice. “What if we can’t find her?”

“Oh, sweetie,” Snow said, cupping Henry’s face in her hand. “Of course we will.”

“Emma – I mean, mom, didn’t say hardly _ anything_. She just said my mom was hurt but not _ really _ hurt and and that she and mom couldn’t use their magic and she was going to go get Belle because Belle would know what to do. But what does that even _ mean_?” he finished breathlessly.

“I don’t think she’s in any danger, or Emma wouldn’t have left. I think something happened, but your mother is going to be okay. We’re going to find her. I promise,” Snow’s earnest, gentle manner had a calming effect on her son, and for perhaps the first time, Regina genuinely felt appreciation for Snow’s hope speeches, instead of irritation or annoyance.

Henry wiped at his face miserably, and David clapped him on the shoulder. “Your moms need you to be strong right now. Can you do that, Henry? They’re counting on you to be brave.” 

Henry looked up at David. “It’s okay to be worried and even scared,” David continued. “But being brave means that even when you’re feeling that way you meet the challenge for yourself. Or because it’s right. Or, you do it for the people that love you. Like Regina. We care about her too, Henry. That’s why we’re going to help her.”

Henry nodded and Regina saw him pull himself up. “Okay. Let’s keep looking. We _ will _find my mom.” He looked around. “Let’s go this way.”

Regina watched him lead the way, going right past her, within inches, no longer a scared child, but a resolved and courageous young man. She had a lump in her throat. _That’s my boy. That’s my son. _

In spite of the situation she was in, Regina smiled. 

***

Regina sat with her knees drawn up and her eyes closed, waiting. The little search party hadn’t been back around, and she doubted she could signal to them that she was there even if they did come by. Her hope was in Emma. And Belle. Ugh, she hoped Belle wouldn’t go off and tell that _ troll _ Rumple what was going on, although she suspected that he probably already knew, somehow, and was enjoying her rather ridiculous predicament. She’d even tried racking her brain to remember what she’d read about fairy rings in the old days. All she could remember was the idea of running clockwise nine times within the circle, and she’d tried it, feeling like a fool. It hadn’t worked.

She heard a rustling and her head snapped up. “Emma?”

She strained to hear and looked around. Her eye caught on a small fox that was looking back at her. 

“Can you see me?” Regina held out a hand. The fox _ did _ see her, and regarded her outstretched hand for a moment before moving on.

Regina made a scoffing noise. Snow White, she was not. She couldn’t beckon cute animals to keep her company and carry on inane conversations while she was lonely in the woods. In spite of herself, Regina felt the old irritation about Snow’s… _ everything _ ... rising within her. Okay, yes, she had seen Snow comfort her son. So what? Sure, she could try to understand Snow more, and make nice for Emma’s and Henry’s sakes. But that didn’t mean that she had to _ like _ her.

“You never learn, do you?”

Regina jumped at the feminine voice and looked to her side. The fox had reappeared, and was sitting at the edge of the fairy circle.

“Excuse me?”

“Your petty resentment and jealousy of Snow. You’re never going to let it go, are you?”

“What kind of a question is that? I don’t recall asking for your input. And what do _ you _ know about it, anyway? And why am I even having a conversation with you right now? Even if you can see me… and… talk… you _ don’t _know me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re on _ my _ turf, and I can feel your energy – and how sour and bitter you are. It sort of wafts off you, like an unpleasant stench.” The fox waved her tail slightly as if she was clearing away an unseemly odor.

Regina glared at the fox. “And what about it? No one’s asking you to be here. On you go,” Regina said with a wave of her hand.

“I thought you wanted out, but if you don’t, then... I guess I’ll be on my way.” The fox turned and began to leave.

“Wait!” Regina narrowed her eyes as the fox looked back over her shoulder at Regina. “Who are you, anyway? How do you know about –”

“You don’t really care about that... I can help you get out, that’s the important thing, isn’t it?” The fox said, taking back its seat at the edge of the circle.

Regina didn’t see the point in denying it, so she didn’t bother to. “How?”

“First, tell me something. When I didn’t come to you before, you were angry at Snow. Why is that?”

Regina felt the side of her head gingerly. Maybe she _ had _ hit her head after all.

“Answer the question,” the fox said sternly, bringing Regina’s full awareness back to this odd situation.

“This is getting weird, even for me,” Regina mumbled. To the fox she said merely, “Everything is easy for her. _ Too _ easy. By the by, how do you know her name?”

The fox tilted its head. “I know many things. Such as the fact that she’s experienced much hardship. Much sadness and pain. Her life hasn’t been easy.”

“You’d never know it from the way she acts. And it’s just that, an act. She’s either the most shallow person in the world, or the pain and sadness you’re speaking of doesn’t touch her the way it would anyone else,” Regina retorted. “That’s reason enough to resent her.”

The fox made a noncommittal humming sound. “And David? Why do you hate him so much?”

Regina shrugged. “I don’t, really. He’s just an extension of her in my eyes. All her wholesome hopes and insipid dreams in one flannel-covered, cardboard package.”

“You don’t actually _ want _ their forgiveness, do you?” The fox twitched her tail and watched Regina knowingly.

“_No _.” Regina nearly spit out the word. And she felt it suddenly, the hatred toward them – she felt it all over, in her skin, down to her bones. It was familiar and it... strengthened her somehow, she realized. 

“What you think Snow did –”

“No. Stop right there. You’re doing what they all do. Don’t sugarcoat it, dismiss it, explain it away, rephrase it or make it some vague thing. She set Daniel’s _ murder _ into motion. Okay? He’s _ dead, _ because of _ her _and her big mouth!” There was a relief in saying it, in wrenching the words out from down deep where she’d tried so hard to bury them lately. 

“Did she?”

“Yes!” Regina cried. “And no one understands, no one has ever tried to understand what that did to me! They think I should let it go, let _ him _ go, and I’ve tried. But Emma thinks it can be forgiven and it can’t. Not ever.”

_ “Emma doesn’t see.” _Was it the fox’s voice or Regina’s own thoughts saying those words? She wasn’t sure.

“That’s right,” Regina agreed after a moment. “She doesn’t see.” The torrent of pent-up emotion began to recede, leaving only Regina’s tears behind. She dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. She wasn’t angry, only tired now.

“You’re wrong,” the fox said. “Emma sees. That’s why she could see you in the ring and the others couldn’t. Emma will always see you, the real you, in a way that no one else can.”

Regina looked at the fox doubtfully as she blinked away a stray tear. “That may be so, but…” She sighed and looked away. “I care for her, love her, but I’m not like them. I can’t just paper over everything and exchange pleasantries over meatloaf! I can’t _ pretend_!”

“Emma knows what you’ve been through. But she knows what her parents have been through as well. She suffered for it too, you know.”

Regina winced. “I know,” she whispered.

“And still, she loves you. She could put the past behind her. So... why can’t you?”

“I can,” Regina protested. “I _ am_! I just....”

“No one has forgotten, Regina. They – Snow and David, Emma, even your Henry – they’ve learned that to live, you have to let go. They know that resentment, and even hatred, no matter how good it may feel, or how justified it may be… are a poison to the soul. A prison of the mind.”

Regina shot to her feet, affronted. “But that never stopped them from waging their wars, did it?” She tugged sharply at her jacket. “From punishing _ me _. And as far as prisons go, they actually threw me in one, on more than one occasion. And this ring is just another prison!”

The fox watched her mildly, and tilted her head. “All of your problems have the same solution,” the fox said. “Change how you’re thinking about the problem, then let it go, and it ends. It’s the only way to move forward.” The fox stood to her feet and gracefully began to move away.

“Wait! You just can’t leave me here!” Regina scrambled as close as she dared to the edge of the ring. “Will you just hold on? Who are you?”

“I’ve told you how to be free.” The fox said, loping away. “It’s your decision.”

“Wait!” Regina called. But the fox darted away and she was alone again in the quiet of the forest.

She wondered briefly if she was losing it. Was it a dream? It couldn’t be. Was she hallucinating? She looked down at the mushrooms nervously. She needed to get out of here.

“Okay. The fox said change how you’re thinking and the problem ends.” Regina pressed the base of her palm to her forehead and tried to focus. “What am I thinking?”

_ I’m thinking that Emma needs to get here with Belle and tell me how to get out. I’m thinking Emma doesn’t get why playing happy families with her parents is hard for me. I’m thinking Snow still doesn’t get it, after all this time, how much damage she did when she told my secret. Maybe she’ll never get it. But I _ can’t _ be okay with that. If I just forgive her and let it go, it’ll be like… like Daniel’s murder doesn’t matter. _

Regina dropped her hand and wrapped her arms around herself. Of course it mattered, even _ thinking _ otherwise for a moment made her feel sick. So much of her life had been defined by it. 

_ And Snow’s life too, _ she realized. She remembered how Snow had tried to tell her yesterday about the way the chain of events, however painful they were, had brought them to that moment. She thought of Snow’s sad face, gazing into the fire when Regina had made reference to Daniel the night before. For the first time, it began to sink in, really sink in that Snow was not only aware, truly aware of the impact of what she had done, she still was hurting over it. She was sorry, that much was clear to Regina now.

“But she’s never _ shown _ that she meant it,” Regina murmured, rubbing her arms. But then, was it really necessary? And before now, even if Snow _ had _ shown it, would Regina have accepted it? Besides, it’s not as if she herself been continuing to seek forgiveness for her own many wrongdoings from Snow and David, or anyone aside from Henry and Emma.

_ No_. Regina had never been ready to do so. But now… now maybe she could, and not just for Emma, or Henry, or to make pleasant chit-chat at dinner possible.

“I don’t need the words, or for her to prostrate herself,” Regina said out loud, vocalizing this new knowledge. _ Just knowing that I _ could _ accept it is enough. Changing the way I think of her isn’t excusing her or forgetting the past. It’s what’s going to make it possible to go on, _ she thought. 

Regina tipped her head back and took a deep breath with her eyes closed. The burden of the baggage she had carried for so long began to fade, a little.


	6. Chapter 6

If only she could get out of this ring.

There were worse ways to spend a Saturday, she supposed. The peace of the forest had been a balm to her of sorts as she’d sat there for the past while, thinking everything over about her decision to forgive Snow, and probing her own heart and mind with questions on the subject. The longer she’d thought about it, and all the implications of it, the better she began to feel. She knew she would never look at Snow the same way again. And all things considered, that was for the best.

Regina wearily massaged a knot in her back. Emma was taking forever. Regina guessed that Belle had come up empty and Emma had gone to enlist Rumple, or worse, that moralizing little moth Blue to get her out of this. Regina sighed heavily and shifted her position on the ground. She just wanted to go home and soak in the hottest water she could stand, and then climb gratefully into her bed, preferably to cuddle with Emma and to forget this whole ordeal.

What had that fox said? To get out she had to change the way she thought about it. 

_ But I can’t get out. I’m stuck here because of who I – _

A new idea occurred to Regina. Maybe she only _thought _ she couldn’t get out, and if she tried…

But no, fairy rings were designed as traps, especially for someone like her, who wasn’t exactly a friend to fairies. But then again…

She wasn’t the same person now, even a short time later, as she was when she first fell into the ring, was she? _ Technically _ not. She could feel that she was already changing, so it couldn’t hurt to try. 

_ I _ won’t _ be the same person. I’m not. I _ can _ be okay with moving on, I _ will _ be, and anyway, this ring of mushrooms has no power over me. I just _ think _ it does. _

Regina took a step forward, in confidence, refusing to be tentative. And it worked. She walked over the circle and nothing happened. Then she turned and looked back at it. 

“Ha!” She cried raising her arms up.

Now to get back to the camp, back to Emma and Henry, and back home.

She followed the path, walking as straight as she could, determined not to simply poof her way there. The sun cooperated with her effort and it finally began to brighten up outside, making it easier for her to track which direction she was going in. She thought she heard Henry and hurried her footsteps. 

“Henry? Emma? Can you hear me?”

She broke out of the trees and into the clearing where the campground was. She saw Henry, Emma, Snow and David, standing around with worried faces, apparently talking over what to do.

Henry saw her first and hurtled toward her, throwing his arms around her in a huge hug that Regina returned gratefully. Then it was Emma’s turn and Emma was sheepishly explaining that she’d been unable to find her way out of the forest and had walked around in a giant circle while it was overcast.

“So you never went for help?”

“Um… not quite. We were just trying to figure out what to do, and who should head back into town.”

“We were all concerned about you,” David said, and Regina could see he actually meant it.

“I know. I appreciate it.” Regina met Snow’s eyes.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Snow said with her characteristic sweetness.

“Thank you,” Regina said with genuine warmth.

And then Regina did something she didn’t think she’d ever do. While Emma and the rest of the family looked on, Regina reached out and squeezed Snow’s arm. 

  


***

  


Two weeks later, Regina was sitting on the couch, glasses perched on the top of her nose as she read through some documents on her iPad.

“What’re you doing?” Emma asked, plopping down next to her. 

“Just looking over the budget for the new forest initiative. I think I’ve got the numbers to work.”

“Just think, all it took was getting stranded in an enchanted circle of fungus to help you appreciate the natural beauty of the Ever Wood.”

“Well, it opened my eyes,” Regina said. “I’m confident that with David’s and Snow’s help we can find a way to maintain the natural beauty of the forest and make it more accessible for future campers, especially the ones that get lost and can’t see the forest for the trees.”

“Where’s the kid?” Emma asked.

“In his room, getting ready for a sleepover at your parents’.”

“Sleepover, huh?”

Regina tossed the iPad aside. “Mmhmm. I figured we could use this upcoming alone time to better acquaint you with your new home. I’m amazed at how fast you got all your stuff moved in. I mean, it’s been a day and a half.”

Emma shrugged with a little grin. “It’s easy enough to do when you don’t have a lot of stuff. I never had roots before so I always kept my stuff to whatever I could reasonably fit in the Bug,” she said, referring to her beloved yellow Volkswagen.

“Well,” Regina said, leaning forward, “You’ve got those roots now, right here.”

“I know it,” Emma said. Their lips met and Regina allowed herself to savor this feeling. She was home, in _ their _ home, and there was no place else she’d rather be.

Emma pulled back suddenly. “So where’s the remote? There’s a game on.”

Regina blinked. “Um. It’s somewhere. You know we don’t watch a lot of TV.”

“Yeah, I know.” Emma stood up and started hunting around, finally finding the remote on a side table and turning on the television.

“Let’s get a pizza,” she said, taking her seat beside Regina again.

Regina tried not to wrinkle her nose. “I guess we could.”

“Cool,” Emma said, fishing out her phone. “What do you want on it?” She looked at Regina with an angelic air of innocence. “How about mushrooms?”

Regina _ thwapped _ her with a throw pillow. “Despite your best efforts, I regret to inform you that you’re _ still _ not funny.”

“I am, though,” Emma grinned. “Quiet, please, while I order this pizza.”

“No mushrooms,” Regina warned.

***

The doorbell rang and Regina went to answer it, checking her watch on the way to the door. David was early picking Henry up.

She opened the door with a raised eyebrow. Before her stood Blue, the obnoxious fly in everyone’s ointment that called herself a fairy. “Yes?”

“Hello,” Blue said. “I was in the neighborhood and I thought I would drop by.”

“Why?” Regina asked bluntly. “Sorry to be impolite, but you’ve never ‘dropped by’ before.”

“I just wanted to thank you for what you’re doing in the forest. I know there was a logging company very interested in the Ever Wood. I also know how many people were wishing that the woods would stay just as they are, among other things. I appreciate you choosing nature over the easy money.”

“Um, sure thing,” Regina said, starting to ease the door closed. “We’re sort of having a family day today, so…”

“Ah, yes. I’d heard that Emma was moving in with you.”

“You seem to know a lot about what I’m doing these days,” Regina said sarcastically. “Thank you for your interest, but –”

“I’ll let you get back,” Blue said with a little smile. “I just wanted to give you something.”

“Oh?”

“I saw it and it reminded me of you.”

“O...kay.” Regina took a small box from Blue’s hand. 

“Please do accept it with the best intentions. I’ve got to be going,” Blue said. “Give Henry and Emma my regards.”

“Thank you. Good day.” Regina closed the door after she watched Blue leave. She didn’t know quite how to feel.

She didn’t accept gifts from nosy moths, but she didn’t want to be rude, either.

_ I’ve gone _completely_ soft, _ she thought as she joined Emma in the living room. She tossed the gift on the coffee table.

“Who was that?” Emma asked, glancing briefly away from the game to Regina before returning her attention to the screen.

“Blue. She wanted to thank me for saving the forest or some such. What a strange, annoying creature she is.”

“Oh, come on,” Emma said, reaching for the box with interest. “It’s a nice gesture. Are you going to open it?”

“No. I don’t want it.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Now you’re just being dramatic.” She handed Regina the box, and Regina took it reluctantly.

She opened it to find a small ceramic fox figurine. Regina turned it over in her hand, narrowing her eyes with a dawning realization. “Why that damned –” she said through clenched teeth. 

Emma halted Regina’s rant with a kiss and plucked the figurine out of her hand. “It’s cute!” She set the fox down on the cushion beside her. “It was nice of her to come out of her way just to thank you for saving the woods, huh?” Emma mused with a slight smile. “I didn’t know you two were on such friendly terms.”

“We aren’t, that I know of,” Regina said, sighing and snuggling closer to Emma. “She said she knew people were wishing for the woods to stay the same way, among other things. But not many people even knew about the proposal, outside of us and Henry and your parents.”

“Maybe word got out from someone that works with the logging company. But aren’t fairies in charge of wishes or something anyway?” Emma asked absentmindedly as she watched the game progress on the screen. 

Regina suddenly remembered that night around the campfire when Henry had insisted they all stop and make a wish. Of course, that was it. She looked at the fox figurine on the table.

“Yes, I suppose they are,” Regina said slowly, frowning. Could she let this go? Could she let Blue’s sanctimonious meddling stand and move forward, chalking it up to an embarrassing lesson learned? It seemed like she was going to have to do just that, to keep this new peace she’d been pursuing going.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I think I just understood something, that’s all.”

“My girlfriend, the deep thinker.” Emma kissed the top of Regina’s head.

“Remember that night around the campfire, when Henry asked us to all wish on the falling star?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Do you remember what you wished for?”

“Yep.”

“Well, did you get it, or not?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Emma grinned, pulling Regina into a kiss. Neither noticed when the ceramic fox tumbled to the floor.

(the end.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the lovely SQSN mods for organizing this event, and all the hard work that went into it. Another thanks to BulletStrong for her art. And readers, thank you for checking out my story! Please let me know what you think, I hope you enjoyed it! :)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Woods Are Calling (And I'd Rather Not Go) [Art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20329000) by [BulletStrong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletStrong/pseuds/BulletStrong)


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